A frame grab from a video released by the Taliban shows a man believed to be Bowe Bergdahl, left. / IntelCenter via AP

by Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY

by Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY

In the small mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, yellow bows have been tied around trees for four years.

No one has forgotten about U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl - the only American servicemember known to be in enemy hands.

Bergdahl was 23 when he disappeared from his base in southeastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. Now 27, he is believed to be held by the Taliban in Pakistan. On Thursday, the Afghan Taliban announced it would free Bergdahl in exchange for five senior operatives being held at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The offer follows the opening of a Taliban office in Qatar aimed at eventual peace talks.

While the nation knows him as a prisoner of war, community members know him as a man who loved to dance, fence and ride his bike.

Businesses in this 7,000-person central Idaho town hang stickers and banners reading "Standing with Bowe." For the past three years, honoring Bergdahl has been a staple of the town's Fourth of July parade. This Saturday, a "Bring Bowe Back" event and 5K race is expected to draw a crowd.

Bergdahl grew up just outside of Hailey with his parents, Bob and Jani, and an older sister, Sky.

Before enlisting, Bergdahl was known for his love of ballet. He performed with the Sun Valley Ballet School for years, even dancing the role of the Nutcracker.

Jill Brennan, one of the directors of the Sun Valley Ballet School, said Bergdahl performed with the group for four or five years until about 2008. "He's athletic," Brennan said. "He just had a knack for it. He's a wonderful young man."

Bergdahl was also in the Sun Valley Swords fencing club.

Sue Martin runs Zaney's River Street Coffee House in Hailey, where Bergdahl worked as a barista before joining the Army.

Martin said Bergdahl's family is "very optimistic and very hopeful."

In an interview with NPR, Martin said: "He's a very strong young man, both physically and emotionally strong. â?¦ He made a lot of friends and he's a great example of a young man from America. He's a very fine person."

When asked if she knew what prompted him to join the Sun Valley Ballet School, Martin responded: "Bowe was no dummy. â?¦ There were beautiful young women in the ballet."

"It was good growing up with Bowe," James Cameron, a childhood friend, told The New York Times. "We'd ski during the winter and shoot guns, and then during the summer we'd hike and shoot guns."

Since his disappearance, Bergdahl has appeared in several videos released by the Taliban, all dismissed as propaganda by the American military.

"Every day, I want to go home, the pain in my heart to see my family again doesn't get any smaller," he said in a video from April 7, 2010. "Release me, please, I am begging you. Bring me home, bring us all home. Back to our families, back to my family. Please. Bring me home. Please. Bring me home."